Method and apparatus for incubating and hatching eggs



7 July 18, 1933.

L. F. BIGGINS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INCUBATING AND HATCHING EGGS Original Filed May '31, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l y 8, 1933. L. F. BIGGINS 1,918,585

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INCUBATING AND HATCHING EGGS Original Filed May 31, 1927 a Sheets-Sheet 2 July 18, 1933. L. F. BIGGINS 1,918,535

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INCUBATING AND HATCHING EGGS Original Filed May 31, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I[{III/I/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIIIII/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/I"I/IIIIIIIII/III III) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIllII[III/III!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/[IIIIIIIIII[III/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Patented July 18, 1933 i 1 1,918,585

UNITED STATESYPATEN'II OFFICE LEO F. BIGGINS, ADRIAN, MICHIGAN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR. INCUBATING AND HATCHING EGGS Application filed May 31, 1927, Serial No. 195,180. Renewed July 15, 1929.

This invention relates to incubators, but ing the apparatus is a top 2, the vertical end more particularly tothat class of incubators walls of the apparatus being indicated by employing a forced draft or current of heatthe numeral 3. A door 4 is provided for the ed air for maintaining the eggs at the proper incubator A and a door 5 for the hatcher B.

5' temperature. each door having a glass panel 6 to enable the Objects of this invention are to produce an inside of each chamber to be viewed from incubator in which the heated air is directed the outside. Arranged within the incubator to the eggs in such a manner that they reis a drum 7 which is supported by hubs ceive pure air at all times, and that the temjournaled in suitable bearings for rotating 10 perature of the chamber containing the eggs movements. In order to rotate the drum 7, is maintained proper for incubation and a sector 8 is fixed to one end of the drum and hatching purposes; tov provide a method of meshing with the sector is a pinion 9 attached hatching eggs in which the eggs are so arto a shaft 10. Attached to the outer end of I ranged that an adequate supply of air may be the shaft 10 is an operating handle 11 which 15 delivered thereto and mechanically agitating may be rotated for turning the drum in one and distributing the air in such manner that direction or the other, as will be apparent. an even, continuous current of air is supplied The drum 7 is adapted to support a pluto the eggs during the hatching period; to i'ality of trays 12, the bottoms of which are of produce a method of incubating and hatching wire mesh or other foraminous material.

0 eggs in which trays of eggsare incubated in The trays 12 are arranged in parallel, vertione chamber and subsequently hatched in a cally spaced relation, and can be readily reseoarate chamber; and to provide an incumoved from the drum as occasion demands. bator having the new and improved features As shown, the trays are supported on guides of construction, arrangement and operation 13 attached to opposite heads of the drum.

25 hereinafter described. Resting on the floor of the chamber is a pan An outstanding characteristic of my in- 14 for waterto maintain theproper humidity vention resides in forcing a current of heated within the chamber. V

air in an indirect manner transversely ,be- For creating a continuous draft or ourtween-the trays of in a continuousmanrent of air within the incubator chamber, an

ner so that all the eggs are continuously supelectric fan 151s suspended from the under plied with the necessaiyainount of fresh air, side of the "top 2 adjacent the rear vertical and that the temperature of the eggs is main- Wall 16 of the chamber, and is arranged to tained proper for the purpose. create a current toward the front of the The invention is shown by way of illustrachamber. Arranged in front of the fan 15 on in the accompanying drawings, in is an electric heating unit 17 which may be which: of any suitable or desired construction. It

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the com will be apparent that the fan and heating bined incubator and hatcher with some of the unit are disposed above the upper surface of parts broken away to show the inside; Fig. 2 the drum 7, and the current passes horizon- 0 is a perspective view of the device with one tally acrossthe chamber until it comes in of the walls removed to show the incubator contact with the front wall of the chamber, construction; and Fig. 3 is a perspective View Which deflects the heated l downwardly, ith some fth parts b ok away from the and a portion thereof passes in a horizonhatcher. tally disposed direction through the spaces The illustrated embodiment of the invenbetween theegg trays 12, a portion of the air tion comprises an incubator A and hatcher therefore passing over the eggs and beneath B, Th two ar combined into a single the eggs so that the temperature thereof is casing with the center wall or parts thereof maintained at the proper degree and a conforming a common wall for each apparatus. tlnuous draft is created. It will be under- The common wall is indicated at 1, and coverstood that the suction created in rear of the m0 fan 15 assists in drawing air through the spaces between the trays and also entirely around the drum.

I have found that by passing the heated air by indirect means between the egg trays, that the most efiicient incubation is produced. There is no danger of foul air devoid of oxygen being supplied to the eggs so that the eggs are enabled to breath fresh air incubator A where they remain for a certain period of time, and are turned from time to time, but before the eggs are ready for hatching I remove them from the incubator and place them'in the hatcher B. This enables the incubator to be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized before new eggs are placed therein, thereby providing an absolutely sanitary arrangement. The hatcher B is provided with stationary lateral guides or supports for the trays which are arranged in tiers in the manner indicated in Fig.3. Positioned within the hatcher is a similarly arranged electric fan 15 and heating unit 17 which are similarly arranged to the parts heretofore described so asto maintain a continuous current of air by the indirect method hereinbefore described and in a horizontal direction through the spaces between the egg trays. As the air current and the manner of creating the same have heretofore beendescribed, it is not deemed necessary to, repeat the same in connection with the hatcher. It will be understood that the eggs remain in the hatcher until hatching takes place, and are then removed; thereafter the hatcher can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. As this does not interfere with the incubator, the process can continue without interruption.

While I have shown and described a construction which is the best form known to me at the present time, it is to be understood that numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and operation may be effected without departing from the spirit of the invention, especially as defined in the appended claims. I 7

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an incubator, a housing, a stack of trays within the housing disposed in spaced relation one above the other, the ends and top and bottom of the stack being spaced from thehousing, there being free space betweenthe uppermost tray and the top of the housing, and there being horizontal openings at each end of the stack between each pair of trays and each opening having a depth. substantially equal to the depth of the space bet\ een the trays and means located in said free space between the uppermost tray and the top of the housing to pass air horizontally above the stack from one end to the-other and downwardly along the last end of the stack, then horizontally from the last said end to the first said end in currents entering and leaving the space between each two trays in a uniform continuous stream substantially as deep as the space between the trays and in such manner that the volume of air at any given point at one instant between the acent trays is the same as the volume passing the same point at any other instant, and to' finally pass the air upwardly along the first end to complete the circuit.

2. An incubator in accordance with claim 1 wherein the horizontal openings are defined by the ends of the trays. i I LEO F. BIGGINS. 

